REMEMBERING BAPU

FEW Indians are remembered annually. Like Chacha Nehru on Baldin or S.Radhakrishnan on teachers' day. Bapu has no such attributions. The day is remembered simply as his day. Incidently it co-icncides with signing of world war II treaty. For few years it was observed as the day of end of world war II. No more. Not so with Gandhi. Its now over sixty years since he left the earth.

Your blogger has shared some 400 days of life on the earth with him. No memories of him obviously either as person or publlic figure. Who is then to me ? A historical figure or contemporary statesman of modern India ? Can history live with any cut off dates ? What is present and relevent to present times is contnuously retreating to History. Overlap is essence of contnuity. The fact is more clearly marked when people refuse to go into oblivion after 60 years of departure. Its not only few old men coming together to kindle candles. Generation coming after who has never seen Gandhi in person continue to be inspired. Not only politicians but from various other walks of life. If richard Attenborough makes film on him Enlish, Munnabhai does not lag behind. If Martin Luther King models himself after him, Current President of USA Obama dreams of having dinner with him not to mention branding of KHADI as nationalist outfit. " Raghpati Raghav Rajaram" continues to be tune composed and recopmosed by outstanding musicians. No library can be complete without "My experiments with truth". Lenin, Marx and communism have rose and faded. Thousand flowers bloomed in China but Maoism is now more of the name of outlandish outfit from Neighbouring nation than a movement of most populated nation. Photography has few parallels like portraits of Gandhi with Nehru, Gandhi with Churchil.
Few personalities from history tell us ofacceptance and popularity after deatyh like Galileo. Not so with Gandhi. He was popular while living and continues to be so after death.

Why ? Is it beacuse of followers like Nehru who converted his Ahimsa into third front of Non aligned movement globally ? Like Vinoba experimenting with Bhudan ? Is it because of his Martyr like death at the hands of Nathuram ? All these activities and inccidents are now confined to History. But not Gandhi. Who says Gandhi is dead. He needs no statues, he needs no titles like Mahatma or Bapu, he needs no prayer meetings, he needs no societies named after him. He is a "Sanskar" in iteself which will get transcended through human genes.

HE DOES NOT NEED EVEN A DAY DEDICATED TO HIS MEMORY. HE IS NEVER FORGOT.